85,000 sq ft. 100 years of history. A decade of abandonment and another chance at life. The Milton Schoolhouse has long been a local riverfront landmark- hosting over eighty years of elementary school students before being purchased by legendary glass artist Gary Levi and then falling into neglect. Purchased by two young entrepreneurs in 2009, The Milton Schoolhouse has been actively undergoing renovation to host artists, small businesses, and community oriented groups. After being closed to the public since the late 1990s, the building has finally set a date to open its doors once more.
“In the last two years, we’ve helped nearly a dozen people start and grow their businesses in the studios at the school. We’ve been focusing our renovations this year on the public hallways of the building- bringing the building up to safety standards- allowing the studios here to be open to the public during normal business hours. It’s a huge step in creating traffic for the businesses here-and it also means we will be able to host retail operations,” Says Joel Elliott, co-owner of The Milton Schoolhouse. The Milton Schoolhouse currently has seven arts and business studios renovated, with the hopes of adding three more before the end of the year.
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To celebrate the milestone, The Milton Schoolhouse will be hosting a Studio Open House and Exploration Tour on Saturday, Oct. 12th. From noon until 4pm on Saturday, visitors will be invited to enjoy the renovated hallways of the north wing, look inside of newly built studios, and meet local business owners. Three limited capacity tours will be offered exploring the entirety of the mammoth building, guided by Meredith Elliott, co-owner of the schoolhouse, and detailing future plans for renovation.
After the open house, The Milton School will officially be open to the public beginning Nov. 1st during posted business hours. Locals are invited to visit the variety of businesses hosted inside the historic building. Businesses include: Massage at Milton, Creative Stained Glass, Marie the Cheesecake Lady, Carrie Carpunky Photography, Midwest Electric by Dan Mustain, Rona Leah Photography, and Edward Scott Foto. The Milton Schoolhouse also has plans to open an exciting new coffee house at their location in early 2013.
Follow the progress of The Milton Schoolhouse at www.facebook.com/themiltonschoolhouse, or learn more about the businesses hosted at Milton at www.themiltonschoolhouse.com.
